An Exception
by MayFairy
Summary: Qui-Gon had always known that he had never been one to obey all the rules. But he could never have forseen such a situation as his current one, with feelings he knows are forbidden and doesn't want. And she too knows just how wrong it is. Regardless, they find themselves teetering on an edge until suddenly, they fall in and realise that they are in too deep to go back. Qui-Gon/OC
1. Unexpected Meeting

**So I watched the Phantom Menace again the other day, and got left with a whole bunch of Qui-Gon feels that won't go away. And I kept thinking about how he was kind of a rebel in terms of how he conducted myself, and that if any Jedi (besides Anakin who just had superiority issues) were to have 'a forbidden relationship' it would be Qui-Gon. Hence, story idea. **

**I just really wanted to explore Qui-Gon's character and what developing/having a forbidden romance would do to it...so yeah. **

**I've looked around, and I'm not the first person to do this, but the other Qui-Gon/OC fics seem to involve him getting it on/falling in love with a Padawan...which seems kind of weird and a little OOC to me, so I've gone for something a bit different. **

**I am going to admit that beyond the movies, I don't really have much Star Wars knowledge, so please, if I ever get anything wrong, please just let me know, I accept my ignorance here. Though I am trying to use the Star Wars wiki to help me. **

**:) **

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi shifted from foot to foot in the aircraft hangar of the Royal Palace of Algnadesh as he waited for his Jedi Master to emerge from the ship that had brought them from Coruscant.

He had only been a Padawan for a few years, but already his trust in Qui-Gon Jinn was incredibly sound, and he respected the man with every fibre of his being, even if he did sometimes think that his Master did do things somewhat differently to what the Jedi Code often suggested.

At fifteen years old, he did not look his age, but was not vain enough to be bothered by his younger appearance.

Finally, Qui-Gon came down the ramp of the ship and joined his Padawan on the floor of the hangar.

"So if we are being sent as a second Jedi pair to deal with an increasingly risky situation…who is already here?" Obi-Wan asked the older man, who answered with an almost imperceptible shrug.

"The Council didn't say, and they were in too much of a hurry to go into details. They said that the other Jedi would explain."

The two of them walked to the doors of the hangar, which opened moments before they had been about to open it themselves. Standing on the other side were two people that the Force helped them identify immediately as the other Jedi on the mission.

"Qui-Gon Jinn, I thought I could sense you," The older Jedi exclaimed. She was a human female who appeared to be in her mid to late twenties, while her Padawan was a male Etti who seemed to be an older teenager by human standards. His pale blue skin contrasted with his cropped black hair. He was lanky like most Etti, but Qui-Gon could see the subtle hints of muscles from beneath his traditional Jedi robe.

Qui-Gon stared at the Jedi Knight in front of him for several moments before disguising his surprise. "Falon-Ti Tarn…it's been a while."

"That's Jedi Knight Tarn to you, have been for about five years," She replied smugly.

He lifted his eyebrows slightly and crossed his arms. "And it's Master Jinn to you."

"Sorry," Although her voice was sincere enough, the expression on her face suggested that she wasn't particularly sorry at all. "This is my Padawan, Sii Lark."

"This is Obi-Wan Kenobi," Qui-Gon introduced.

"Perhaps you'd like to come to the wing of the house where we're staying, and I can explain the situation to you if you have any questions," Falon offered, and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan nodded before following her and Sii down the corridor.

* * *

Once they were in the large apartment that had four bedrooms, one for each of them, and food and drink were lain out in front of them, Falon smiled and began with the discussion of the mission.

"So what do you still need to know about what we're doing here?" She asked.

"To be honest, there wasn't much time for explanations, the Council were too anxious to speed us on their way. Though they did specify that we are here to protect several members of the Royal Family here?" Qui-Gon watched her intently from across the table the four of them were seated at, and she nodded.

"The king, the prince, and the princess….the queen died several years ago of a sickness. We were sent here six months ago as a precaution when some terrorists made vague threats to the family. It has been alright so far, and I was beginning to think that we weren't needed at all. But three weeks ago there were whispers of a powerful movement about to strike at the royal family and take control of the planet for themselves…we had a team of assassins break into the palace who nearly succeeded in killing the prince and did succeed in wounding him before we managed to take them down," The Jedi woman relayed, "We are going to be quietly relocating the family to a palace in the remote country, as is one of the best ways of protecting people. We have allies who will be working here in the meantime to deflate the threat, it is merely our job to work as bodyguards until they can," She said.

"When do we leave?" Obi-Wan queried.

"Now that you're here, we can leave in the morning," Falon said brightly, "You have no idea how ready I am to leave this place, even if we are remaining on the same planet."

Qui-Gon studied her. "I imagine that up until the attack, your many months here have been very tedious."

"Practically unbearably so," She confirmed, "Even Sii, who never complains, began to hint once that he was getting tired of it."

"Only once," Sii murmured, somewhat embarrassedly.

"Don't act so ashamed of it, you're almost _too_ polite and compliant, I would have been more worried if you hadn't said anything," His instructor remarked dismissively.

There was a minute of silence as all four Jedi focused on their food, until Obi-Wan let loose a question which had obviously been sitting in his head for some time. "So how do you two know each other?"

Qui-Gon's lips twitched with amusement as he looked between his Padawan and his old acquaintance. "We used to be duelling buddies, of a sort. She was a youngling who was waiting to be taken as a Padawan and I had been training under Jedi Knight Dooku for six years already. But she wanted to practice sparring with someone so desperately that I spent some of my time working with her."

"I never did know why he bothered with me," Falon commented.

"Half of the time, neither did I, and I still don't," Qui-Gon said wryly, "But then I remember the feisty twelve year old all but demanding for me to fight her. It was too intriguing and amusing to resist."

"I never won though, of course, not even after I became a Padawan myself and gained better instruction," She told Obi-Wan, "An age gap of six or seven years is just too great when it comes to training Jedi, you learn so much so quickly that every year is incredibly important."

"It only went on for a couple of years before I was sent away on more serious missions with Dooku, and not too many years after that I became a Jedi Knight and had other duties to perform," Qui-Gon finished. "We know quite little about each other except for fighting techniques."

"I found several replacements for you anyway," said Falon, rather boredly, "Though I stand by the fact that I was slowly improving, and given enough time, could have beaten you."

"Perhaps," The Jedi Master said vaguely, "But we have no way of knowing now."

The woman shrugged. "I suppose not."

* * *

When the Padawans had retired to their chambers, Qui-Gon found Falon outside on the balcony which overlooked the majestic city they were in. She spoke without turning around.

"It may have been boring here…but I will miss the view," Her voice was slightly wistful.

"You grew your hair," He noted, eyes running over the braid of dark hair that run down the length of her back. He stood next to her, leaning on the railing in front of them.

Her hazel eyes, as bright and quick as he remembered them to be, regarded his face for several moments before she retorted, "You grew a beard."

"It's been, what? Thirteen, fifteen years?" Qui-Gon guessed. "Is that really the most noticeable difference?"

"I shan't lie and say no," Falon said, smirking, "Is my hair mine?"

"No, merely something worth mentioning…the most noticeable difference is that the girl I knew is now a well-established woman," He settled on saying after a few moments of thought, "In many ways I barely recognise you."

"Part of me is still very much the twelve year old that liked to yell," Falon chuckled, "But I like to think that other than that my connection with the Force is much stronger, and that my outlook on life is wiser."

"Most people who are wise don't admit to it," Qui-Gon pointed out.

She smiled a little, with a sort of smugness. "Yes, but just because one gains wisdom does not necessarily make one wise, merely wis_er _than how they were originally. I am many things, but wise is still not one of them. Goodnight, Master Jinn."

"Goodnight, Jedi Knight Tarn," He replied, and watched her leave. It was incredibly strange to see a person from his past after so many years. He had not known her particularly well in their youth, only really as the youngster he duelled occasionally because she needed the practice and he felt compelled to help her. Now however, his curiosity was rather piqued.

It would be interesting to see if on this mission he would see who she really was compared to what her younger self had allowed the world to think she was, and whether or not it had been a façade.

* * *

**I'm not normally one for short chapters but since this fic isn't going to be incredibly long, it seems to fit. Hope you enjoyed it so far, would be great to hear from you in a review! **

**-MayFairy :) **


	2. Settling In

**I love new stories, they always flow so quickly...the short chapter length is helpful too. :P (but don't think I usually update every day because I DON'T, though with this story, who knows) **

**Thanks to ZackAttack96 and OptimisticLivvy for reviewing! **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

The next day, the four Jedi and the three royals had safely and stealthily left the city and travelled to a destination many hours away. They arrived that night at the large mansion that was still in many ways a palace. The royals, tired from the trip, were quick to excuse themselves and go to bed, but the Jedi remained awake.

Once the house was scoped out, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon left for their rooms, which were in the wing of the mansion opposite to the one where the royals were staying.

Meanwhile, Falon and Sii had opted to stay in the very well stocked kitchen for some late night snacking. While he was quietly munching on some vegetables, she cut up some fruit for herself. Nibbling on it quietly, she speculated on how well the day had gone, and how interesting the prospect of having another accomplished Jedi around was.

She sensed Qui-Gon a few moments before he entered the room, and she continued to eat her food, meeting his eyes for a moment as a way of greeting considering that her mouth was occupied.

He was very different from her memories of him. The young man she'd known was now not so young, appearing in his mid-thirties, his hair now long. And the beard, of course, as she hadn't hesitated to mention. The teenager from her memories existed in her mind as practically nothing more than a fighter, an older opponent who taught her a lot but never failed in triumphing over her. As to what else made up the man now standing a few metres away, she had no more of an idea than she did about the teenager he had once been.

But he seemed to be incredibly intelligent. Not exactly wise, but something close to it. And very in touch with the Living Force, though it was only a suspicion on her part.

"Join us?" She offered once she had swallowed her morsel.

The corner of his mouth moved in what seemed to be amusement. "No thank you," He said, "I was just going to inquire as to which rooms the two of you will be taking. It's important that we are all close together, in case of emergencies."

Falon brushed her hands on her Jedi robes and beckoned to Sii. "Of course, just show us which rooms you and Obi-Wan have chosen, and we'll pick ours accordingly." The three of them left the room, and proceeded down a corridor where Qui-Gon pointed out to doors which were side by side.

"That is Obi-Wan's," He gestured towards the door on the left, "And this one is mine," He opened the door to his room and stood in the opening while Falon nodded.

"Then we'll just take the ones opposite?" She put her hand on the door controls of the room opposite Qui-Gon's, and looked at Sii to confirm.

The Etti nodded his agreement. "It works for me." He disappeared into the door opposite Obi-Wan's, and the two Jedi's still left in the hallway soon followed suit with their own.

* * *

A routine was built quickly. In the mornings, the Jedi would rise early and eat together. When the royals awoke, they would eat on the outdoor patio in the sun while the Jedi sat in a square formation and meditated.

The king was a kind man called Roul, and he had many questions for the Jedi about their way of life, particularly for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, as he had had chances to ask the other two Jedi some of his questions in the previous months.

Lern, the prince, was a teenager who enjoyed being outside and doing a lot of physical activity. As a result, he took to asking Obi-Wan and Sii – who he clearly found more approachable due to them being his age – if he could practice with them and if they could teach him some self-defence.

The princess, Sierrn, was quite focused on her looks most of the time, though with each day they spent in their strange isolation, the less it seemed to worry her, as she realised that no one around her really cared about her appearance either way. After that she became more interesting to be around, and while she was well-educated in some areas, there were others were she knew very little, and was eager to learn.

* * *

One night, a few weeks after they had arrived, Qui-Gon left the room where the royal family were spending some time together and went out onto the patio to find Falon there, meditating.

"Where are Obi-Wan and Sii?"

"Dueling each other in the ballroom downstairs…you know how padawans are once they have their lightsabers."

He had to smile knowingly at that. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," She didn't turn around, and kept her eyes closed as he sat down beside her.

"How long do you think we will be here?"

"I don't know. The future is clouded, I can't read it very well at all at the moment. There are many things in it which I do not understand," Her voice conveyed how troubling she found it, and Qui-Gon found that he could empathise a little.

"I feel it also," He said, "Though I can see well enough that this should be over within five months. The details…as you say, clouded."

"It's not surprising, if we are going to be here for five months, then our futures are entwined, and whatever that future is, it seems to be a strange or difficult one." The woman paused before adding, "I cannot say that I am looking forward to spending another five months here…though at least it is not any longer."

"Patience is a virtue, Falon," He reminded her, and he sensed that she was a little surprised to hear him call her by her first name. "I can call you Jedi Tarn, if you're more comfortable with that. I just happen to prefer to call people by their given names, if we are not in a formal setting."

"You can call me Falon, I don't mind," She answered hesitantly, "Though that would in theory mean that I can call you Qui-Gon."

"That seems fair."

* * *

Two months in, the seven occupants of the mansion were all getting along quite well with one another. So well, that the Padawans had taken to practising against each other while the royals watched as spectators, who were enraptured by the quick and graceful sport.

But it came to be that one morning, Princess Sierrn asked if they could see the older Jedi join in.

"Very well," Qui-Gon said to his apprentice, "Let's see if all this practice with Sii has seen you improve, my young Padawan."

The two males began to duel in a more energized and forceful way, a way that could never transpire between two Padawans, as it required the skill of at least one fully trained Jedi.

The royal family continued to be totally absorbed in the duel, while Sii looked on, very impressed. Falon, meanwhile, analysed each move they made, noting techniques and moves Qui-Gon was using that he had evidently learnt since when he had fought her.

Within minutes, Qui-Gon had his Padawan cornered on the ground, and the boy yielded before grinning up at his Master. He moved to the side and was about to suggest that Sii take a turn against Qui-Gon, when the man himself stretched out his hand and beckoned to Falon.

"Me? You want to duel me?" She said, a little surprised, but started walking towards the centre of the room regardless. "Why?"

"It's been fifteen years, call it curiosity."

"Alright then."

The Jedi Master lingered in the centre of the ballroom, watching her every move as she made to join him, "Of course, but don't be so sure that you'll win this time."

She shrugged. "Who said I was sure of anything?"

Immediately they both sprang into action, skilled warriors with far more knowledge than their charges would have for many years. Each movement was precise and lightning quick. The flashes of the green lightsaber against the blue were one of the only ways to properly track the fight, as the people holding the weapons were moving too fast to pinpoint half of the time.

Qui-Gon had control for the first thirty seconds, but soon Falon was on the offensive, keeping her centre and striking out at him with quick and precise jabs, which he countered. He made to fight back with a strong forward thrust but she met it with her own, and they stood, inches from each other, weapons locked. But Falon threw her body weight downwards, propelling herself to the floor and sliding through his open legs to get behind him. However, while her body and head made it through unhindered, his legs snapped shut in time to catch her long braid between them. With a pivot, he was facing the correct way and looking down at where she was lying on the ground, her knees bent but unable to get up without her hair being released.

He took the offensive again easily, and while she managed to hold him off, she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it up forever in her position.

"I yield," Falon exclaimed, panting, and Qui-Gon immediately withdrew his lightsaber and released her braid from his hold. She also sheathed her weapon, and smiled gratefully when her opponent offered her a hand up. "Thank you."

"Next time, you might want to consider doing something else with your hair. The braid is a bit too long to be safe," Qui-Gon suggested, and she nodded.

"You just made that pretty obvious," She admitted, and then looked around, "Is anyone else hungry?"

* * *

Over lunch, Qui-Gon and Falon sat next to each other, discussing their duel in detail.

"I thought you were good before, but now you're incredible!" He lifted an eyebrow and she reconsidered her chosen adjective before replacing it with a more suitable one. "Or, formidable, rather," She opted for, smiling a little bashfully.

"Perhaps _don't _shower me with compliments," He suggested slowly, "I would prefer to avoid becoming arrogant."

Her hazel eyes watched him thoughtfully for several moments before she said, "I don't think you could be. You have a quiet confidence in yourself, it's quite different from arrogance. It's like you-" She stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry, I'm speaking out of turn, they were speculative observations at best and it's really none of my business."

"Analysing the people around you is necessary," Qui-Gon pointed out.

"But speaking of the findings when they are of an incredibly personal nature is wrong and an invasion of privacy," Falon continued, looking him in the eye, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, you realized your mistake, at least," He didn't look particularly bothered by what she had said.

"I may be a Jedi Knight but I still have much to learn." She ducked her head a little.

"How old are you now?" Qui-Gon inquired.

"Twenty seven years old."

"You look much younger."

"I act and feel much younger as well." There was a pause. "How much younger do I look, exactly?"

"You appear about twenty two or twenty three, perhaps," He mused, surveying her face closely.

"Sometimes I wonder why Master Yoda made me a Jedi Knight, I feel as though I don't deserve it now, let alone then," Falon sighed and munched on her food while she waited for Qui-Gon to respond, which he didn't do until after nearly a minute of thought.

"He will have had his reasons; he always does," He eventually said, "He must have seen something in you."

"But what?" She looked up into his blue eyes earnestly, unknowingly showing her self-doubt.

"Whatever he saw, it is unlikely that many others can see it," Qui-Gon told her, "And even if I had seen something, which I haven't, it wouldn't be my place to say."

"That's true."

* * *

A few months later, Falon turned over several times in her bed, troubled deeply by a dream which she could not remember upon waking up. But with it came the startling clarity of the knowledge which it had left her with.

She scrambled from her bed, too worried to bother with putting anything over her thin white shift, and crossed the hallway to Qui-Gon's room. Her knock received no answer so she opened the door and went in anyway.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing a only pair of loose leggings, his long hair entirely loose, just as hers was. Upon noticing her, his head snapped up.

"Did you sense it?" She whispered.

"Yes. Did it wake you as well?" He didn't seem surprised when she slowly nodded. "What did you make of it?"

"It was brief, but I'm sure of what it meant," The woman described.

They then spoke in unison, knowing their words to be true.

"Something's coming."

* * *

**Yeah, I'm not exactly wasting time with this. It's not going to be a SUPER long story, and this section doesn't have too many things that need to be explained in detail before it gets a bit more interesting. Still, hopefully you're still with me. I'm trying to make it believable, because Qui-Gon is kind of hard to write, because he's quite serious, but at the same time he isn't really, he just never acts overly excited or happy, if you lot know what I mean. **

**Til the next update (which, knowing me, will probably be very soon because I can't stop writing this)!**

**-MayFairy :) **


	3. Attack

**I knew that daily updates weren't sustainable...fight scenes alway delay me because I'm so terrible at them. :P **

**Thanks to OptimisticLivvy and ZackAttack96 for reviewing! **

**This chapter is a bit longer than the others, so enjoy, because the next one will probably be short. **

* * *

The Jedi were quick to take precautions. So intense was the feeling of foreboding that they had altered the sleeping arrangement so that all seven people in the house slept in the large living room. Neither the Jedi nor the royals were entirely happy with the new regime but it was necessary for maximum safety.

The sleeping mats were comfortable enough for the Jedi, but it was clear that the royals were used to softer beds.

"You'll get used to it soon enough," Qui-Gon had told them, "It's preferable over being killed because it took us too long to get to you."

They had shut up about the matter rather quickly after that.

A few nights in, Qui-Gon couldn't get to sleep no matter how hard he tried, and he sighed impatiently at himself. Suddenly, he picked up on the awareness in the mind of the other grown Jedi and turned onto his side. He immediately found himself face-to-face with her.

"You can't sleep either?" Falon whispered from the sleeping mat next to him.

"The disturbance is keeping me awake," He said, "It's happened before."

"To me as well."

"What are you going to do when this is over?" Considering that she had been on the same planet for nearly a whole year, he couldn't help but be curious as to what her first exploits off it would be.

"I'm going to stay in Coruscant for a while because it's so different to here," She said, clearly thinking, "And find a way onto the top of one of the tallest buildings, and just…stand there."

Qui-Gon found himself chuckling just a little. "And what would that achieve?"

Her lips curved into a smile while her cheeks took on the slightest shade of pink. "I could look down on the city and see a spectacular view nothing like the ones here…and feel the wind on my face. This place has no wind, for some reason, and I miss it." Self-consciously, she brushed hair out of her face and avoided his gaze momentarily. "What about you?"

"I imagine that I will return to the Jedi Temple and continue training Obi-Wan there until we are required somewhere else," He answered truthfully.

"Perhaps Sii and I will see you there," Falon proposed, and he nodded.

"Perhaps you will," He studied her, noting how in the back of her mind he could still feel the restlessness within her, "I will be interested to see the difference in you once you are free of the restlessness inside you over having been here too long."

"I imagine I would be more pleasant to be around," She guessed. He smiled, amused. They slipped into a comfortable and companionable silence, lying there until they stared a look which confirmed that it was time to attempt sleeping again.

This time around, Qui-Gon drifted off quickly, his mind more at ease than before for no identifiable reason. But sleep was strange like that, he supposed.

* * *

Prince Lern was making a show of juggling pears for Obi-Wan and Sii when the two older Jedi entered the dining room. But when he threw them up in the air one by one, they changed course and drifted over to Sii, who then juggled them without making physical contact.

Qui-Gon and Falon shared amused chuckles at the back of the room before Qui-Gon used his own connection with the Force to put the food back on the table where it belonged.

"Perhaps eat the food, instead of playing it," He suggested to the teenagers, who just grinned and sat down to do exactly that. "Good morning, your majesty, your highness," The greeting was directed to the king and princess, who were already at the table and halfway through breakfast. They nodded in acknowledgement before returning to their conversation.

Obi-Wan joined in Qui-Gon and Falon's conversation about various physical training techniques, while Sii and Lern, who after knowing each other for almost a year were rather good friends, had their own discussion involving fighter ships.

Half an hour later, when everyone was about to leave the table, all four Jedi abruptly stiffened. Within seconds, they were on their feet and in action.

"We need to get them into the living room, it's the most defendable room in the house, then two on offense while keeping two on defence to ensure that if any get around us, they won't be able to do any damage," Qui-Gon instructed the other three Jedi, "The three of you need to follow us, and quickly."

The royals got up, confused but sensing the urgency. "What's happening?"

Obi-Wan glanced at the princess. "We're under attack, and if we don't move quickly then we're all going to be dead within the next twenty minutes."

"There's at least twenty of them, and they are going to be on us in two minutes, so move!" Falon told everyone, and the seven of them quickly ran out of the room and through the corridors until they reached the living room.

"Get into the corner," Qui-Gon told the royals, pointing, but the king went the opposite way, towards a picture hanging on the wall.

"Wait," Roul said, pulling the picture away from the wall reveal a hidden compartment in the wall. He pulled three small blasters out of it, which he then distributed among his family. "This house has been prepared for attack before."

"Do you know how to use them?" Sii asked, and the two male royals nodded.

"Just point and shoot, right?" Sierrn said with a nervous laugh, smiling even as fear shone in her eyes.

"Still, the corner will help us defend you," Qui-Gon again pointed to the corner in question, and waited until the three of them followed his instructions and knelt down there, blasters ready just in case.

"Sii and I will take the defense," Falon said, and she and her Padawan moved to stand in front of the royal family, blue lightsabers ready. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon nodded and approached the door, waiting for the attacks which they could sense were about to spring forth any second.

The assassins came like lightning, quick, and barely visible if one of the Jedi stopped focusing for even a moment. They were armed with powerful blasters, but also masters of unarmed combat. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan tried to hold them back and keep them near the door, but even as they managed to strike down some of those coming at them, others managed to dodge for many seconds before they were caught out, and more still were able to get around the outside of the offense in the confusion.

Sii took on two of them as they came around Qui-Gon. Meanwhile, Falon stood in front of the three people they were trying to protect, deflecting all the blaster shots she could as they came her way. The confusion of the fight made it hard to tell what was happening amongst the moving bodies and the blurs of weapons and blaster bolts.

After at least fifteen assassins had fallen, someone new entered the room. Qui-Gon sensed immediately that he was the leader, merely by the way he held himself, and his thoughts were confirmed by the fighters around him. The leader immediately went after Qui-Gon, with skill far greater than those of the warriors that served him. Realising that to win, he would need to be able to manoeuvre more freely, Qui-Gon rotated himself and his attacker as they fought until he was in front of the door and could duck out of it into the more open and spacious corridor.

Once he was followed, Qui-Gon could see that the leader carried not only a refined blaster, but also a mace that seemed to be charged with a similar kind of energy. Deflecting the shots fired at him wasn't impossible, but the man was fast and closing in on him, meaning that soon the mace was going to become an issue as well.

The Jedi decided that the only way he was going to come out of it alive was if he put himself on the offensive. So he began striking out with powerful strokes, keeping everything measured and in check. He never allowed himself to lose himself in a fight the way Padawans tended to when they began duelling. Instead he kept himself aware of everything around him, everything that could be used as an advantage and everything which could be used against him.

His attacks were parried by the mace, but such a crude weapon could not hold off a lightsaber for long, and it was clear that the lead assassin knew it, as he quickly and slightly desperately manuevered so that he had put some distance between them and could resume using his blaster.

The distance made deflecting the blasts more difficult, and Qui-Gon flinched as one of the blasts grazed his upper left arm, leaving the skin there feeling as though it were on fire. Having experienced blaster grazes before and knowing how they only got worse, the Jedi knew he had to end the fight quickly. He gripped his lightsaber tighter and lashed out aggressively, managing to cut off the hand that was clutching the blaster, causing both to fall to the floor. But the man barely hesitated despite losing the limb and brought his mace up to clash against the lightsaber. Usually the strength of any Jedi, let alone one as strong as Qui-Gon, would be more than enough to win out in such a confrontation, but as his arm grew weaker and more painful by the second…Qui-Gon realised, a few seconds too late, that he was about to falter in a way most likely to have deadly repercussions.

However, before he could do anything about it or consider that he could be about to lose his life, a single blaster shot rang out, surprising both in the fight, before the assassin leader dropped to the floor, quite dead.

Qui-Gon stared at the person who was standing some way behind the fallen man, the one who had fired the shot, who was none other than Princess Siernn herself. The teenage girl took in a few deep breaths, clearly unable to believe she had accomplished such a feat. After a few seconds, she shot Qui-Gon a shaky but rather proud smile.

"Just point and shoot, right?" She said, and he had time to smile before a lightning strike of pain jolted through his injured arm and festered around the burn. He dropped to his knees and automatically grasped at it, close to but not on top of the graze. Sierrn's blue eyes widened and she spun on the spot, her long blonde hair whipping around behind her. "Jedi Tarn! Master Jinn is injured!"

Falon appeared at the door in seconds, and when she saw Qui-Gon half on the ground, made a request for the med kit over her shoulder before rushing to her fellow Jedi's aid. "How long ago did you get it?"

"A minute, perhaps two," He got out, and she helped him move to sit against the nearby wall as Sii appeared with the med kit, Obi-Wan following behind.

"Master!" The human Padawan exclaimed, concerned, but Qui-Gon eyed him with more calm than Falon had thought it was possible to have while having been injured by a blaster.

"It is just a wound, Obi-Wan," He said, "Are any of you injured?"

"Merely bruised," The king called from down the corridor, "Thanks to your protection."

"They had long and sharpened nails," Sii informed the Jedi Master, "We all have a few scrapes, but nothing that won't heal."

Meanwhile, Falon had been rummaging in the med kit until she found the blaster balm. She used a small knife to cut his sleeve off before covering some of the balm pads with the blaster balm and dabbing it on the burn area. Qui-Gon let out a low hiss but was otherwise silent, the perfect patient. Though when a drop of blood appeared on his arm, he glanced up at the woman tending him and saw the small red trail on her cheek that told him that it had fallen from her chin.

"Oh, sorry," She apologised, "Sii, can you please get one of the small bandages? The cut is on the edge of my forehead on the right side, if you could cover it." The Etti grabbed the bandage and leaned in to push her straight fringe out of the way until he could see the jagged cut that had been made by one of the assassins. He quickly covered it and then cleaned the small trail of blood that had been on her face with a small cloth. "Thank you, Sii." She smiled gratefully at her Padawan. "Please go with Obi-Wan and stay with the royals, settle them down somewhere. The danger has passed." The teenagers nodded respectfully and left. The Jedi Knight's hazel eyes went back to the man she was tending to, and she knelt beside him so that she wasn't stuck bending over. "You know, you're not very worried for someone who just got hit by a blaster."

"I know that I am in good hands," Qui-Gon said evenly, and blue met hazel as their eyes locked. Falon smiled, pleased by his trust in her. She continued to slowly dab at the wound, which was now much smaller and fainter than before. "I think that's enough."

"Just another minute to be sure, I do _not _want this getting infected and diminishing your strength," Her free hand was resting slightly further down his bicep, which was firm and a rather impressive size. The minute passed in another one of their comfortable silences and when she finally withdrew and discarded the balm pad, he slowly got to his feet.

"Thank you," He smiled widely, gratitude obvious, "I am usually stuck doing this sort of thing myself."

Her head tilted to the side just a little. "You don't get your Padawan to do it?"

"Only if I have no other choice, I prefer to be a little more independent," The Jedi Master imparted.

"I've lost count of how many times Sii has patched me up over the years," The dark haired woman chuckled as they slowly walked down the corridor in the direction of the dining room.

"And he doesn't mind?"

"I personally suspect that he rather likes being the empowered male helping the 'damsel' in distress," The two of them laughed together, "Even if I am his elder and master, and very far from a damsel in reality."

They entered the dining room and walked down along the length of the table. As they passed him, Sii's hand darted out to tug on his Jedi Knight's long braid for a moment. She didn't falter for even a second and merely brought the braid around the right side of her shoulder, keeping it there briefly before flicking it back over her shoulder. Then she looked back at him, to see him pushing his own dark hair out his eyes with his right hand. At that they exchanged small smiles before Falon turned away.

Qui-Gon had watched the peculiarly deliberate exchange that had taken place over a manner of a few seconds. When they had moved and sat down at the other end of the table, he leaned in and asked quietly, "What exactly was that?"

Confusion filled her deceivingly youthful features for a moment before it dissipated and her lips twitched upward. "Oh. A little system that we developed years back. The tug on my hair means that he's asking if I am okay. If I pull it over my right shoulder, then it means I'm alright. If it's my left, it means I'm not. I ask the same of him by returning it to its place. Then he fiddles with his hair with one hand, with the same respective sides and meanings for which hands he uses."

"Very clever, very subtle, and a little…intimate," He conceded, nodding. She shrugged.

"If I am to be close to anyone, of course it is my Padawan," Her voice conveyed that it was a concept that appeared obvious to her, and she couldn't understand why it seemed that he entirely agree. "It's just my hair."

"What do you do if he is unable to reach your hair?"

"He tugs on his Padawan braid three times, just as I do with my own braid if I am the one asking him," Falon glanced along the table at her Padawan, who was busy eating, "It has served us well, and gotten us out of several potentially dangerous situations by being able to communicate silently, even if it is very limited communication."

"No, I like it," Qui-Gon said, smiling, thinking that perhaps it would be prudent for himself and his own Padawan to develop their own method of non-verbal communication.

At that she smiled back, a little cheered by the compliment, and helped herself to a little bit more food.

Qui-Gon watched her momentarily, his gaze lingering on the long, thick braid that was comfortably sitting on her left shoulder and continuing on until ending at her waist. He speculated what it would be like to do as Sii had done, and casually tug on it, as if it were no odd thing for such a casual, familiar and intimate gesture to occur between them. Her hair always looked rather silky, as though it would be soft to the touch.

A memory swum into his mind's eye: the night that they had sensed a danger was coming for them. She had burst into his room, the dim light making it seem as though her eyes were entirely brown rather than sparsely decorated with additional green. Her hair had been loose, the only time he had ever seen it so, tumbling around her shoulders and down her back like sleep-mussed, shadowy waterfall.

And her sleepwear…the garment she had been wearing had been pale and not entirely opaque. Despite its looseness, it had draped itself over her pear-shaped body in a way that gave strong hints to what lay underneath.

At that he shook himself from his thoughts, thankful for the long practiced self-control that had allowed his mind to wander without his face betraying it. To be thinking of such details was utterly strange. He had not concerned himself with such things since his teenage years, and even then it had been mostly curiosity and dares among the Padawans, making a joke of aspects of the world that were barred from them, scraping the surface of the forbidden. Everyone did it, and then moved on. She herself would have – though he was hardly going to imagine that, nor did he want to.

Where _had _that train of thought sprung from?

Qui-Gon Jinn frowned to himself and diverted his mind to much more sincere and less confusing pathways, and allowed himself to listen to what Obi-Wan was trying to tell him from down the table.

Yet every so often he found his eyes glancing back to Falon for just fractions of a second, and he couldn't bring himself to stop.

* * *

**So there we have it, the royal situation has been averted. Next chapter shall be back in the Jedi Temple, and will see a much happier Falon and Sii. Though of course, how long can peaceful Coruscant living last? **

**-MayFairy :) **


	4. Back On Coruscant

**It's funny how you can writer's block over the smallest things! Ah well, have another update. :) **

**Thanks to ZackAttack96, OptimisticLivvy, Why so Sirius1236 and Brownbug for reviewing! **

**Also, this is set about 9 years before the Phantom Menace, for anyone who was wondering. **

* * *

It had been two months since the four Jedi had returned from Algnadesh, and all of them, upon returning, had been enjoying being back in Coruscant and having access to important little things such as favourite places to relax or eat.

But a month previous, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had been sent away again, to the Kimm Cresh system in the Mid Rim. Having spent five months being with them practically twenty four hours a day, it was a little peculiar for Sii and Falon to adjust to being on their own again. No assignments came their way, so they focused on training and studying in the Temple, with occasional excursions into the city to observe the behaviour of those around them.

That was how they found themselves in a compact nightclub with deafening music pounding in their ears. Falon watched her Padawan shift unsurely in his seat and fiddle with the drink in front of him.

"It's not alcoholic, Sii, you don't need to look so worried," She said, "As if either of us would ever drink that stuff. But that-" Her finger nudged the glass, "Is nice, I promise."

"How is this educational?" He asked, and slowly sipped at his beverage, wary at first but soon enjoying it.

"Firstly, you need to be able to deal with noise. The Jedi Temple is too quiet. You need to be able to train yourself to listen through music and chatter," The dark haired woman leaned against the back of corner they were sat in and allowed her eyes to drift across the dancefloor at the twisting, turning and grinding bodies.

Sii followed her gaze and lifted an eyebrow at the displays. "Why do they do that in public?"

Falon looked back at him, flashing him a small crooked smile. "That's the other reason we are here. Most people aren't like Jedi. They are controlled by the base urges, to eat, to sleep, and to copulate." Even as she said the word, she could see him chuckling a little, clearly amused by the idea of more regular people and their driving need to engage in such activities. "Yes, I know, we're all very above that. You make it rather obvious that you take great pride in your celibacy."

"Why wouldn't I?"

Thoughtfully, she stirred her drink and let her gaze migrate back to the dancefloor. "Some find it restricting. Others see it as a worthy sacrifice."

"What about you? How do you see it?"

"Now that's a very personal question, my young Padawan-"

"I apologise, Master, sorry," Sii immediately said, always quick to be nothing but the most polite and respectful Jedi. She shook her head, smiling.

"Because it's you, Sii, I don't mind, but bear in mind to perhaps not ask questions of that nature to any others," Her head tilted to the side as she regarded the question itself, "I believe that for me, it was simply a fact, neither here nor there. I am a Jedi, I was born to be one, and that means celibacy. It's never particularly bothered me, nor do I particularly take pride in it or feel it makes me superior."

"Why not? It _does _make you superior," commented the blue skin teenager, and her smile was soft as her eyes drifted from him to a couple a few metres away. They were two beautiful women, one human and the other a different species with lilac skin and pure white hair. But the way they were gazing at each other was rather intoxicating just to watch.

Falon gestured towards them meaningfully. "But look at that. You _can _see their side of the argument. Love is beautiful. Being half of a whole."

"I suppose," Sii didn't sound too convinced as he watched the pair share a tender kiss, "That side of it. But the side which is just finding the first person to couple with that, that is stupid."

"Yes, yes it is," She agreed, and got up, motioning for him to do the same, "And as for being half of a whole, considering that as Jedi we are all parts of the Force, we don't need that either. Lesson over, we're going back to the Temple to sleep."

That didn't, however, stop Falon from laughing at Sii's haughty expression when he noticed the group of five females watching him and giggling as he went past. The Jedi Knight knew that her Padawan had no idea how much of a pleasant physical appearance he had been blessed with, though with the amount of attention he got from all over the universe, he was bound to figure it out soon. In the meantime, his reactions to admirers would continue to amuse her greatly.

* * *

Spectators cheered as Sii managed to block a particularly sly attack from his master, and Falon grinned with pride as she darted back. Their lightsabers met again in blurred flashes, moving in a dance they had practiced many times before, well synchronised until Sii broke the pattern, surprising her and resulting in her falling backwards. His triumphant look blazed as he leaned over her, but it didn't last as her legs came up to push him back, so that he was the one on the ground, and she leapt to her feet and held the lightsaber to his neck, winning the duel.

The younglings and the Jedi Master looking after them gave an applause and she smiled at them before helping her Padawan up, lightsabers already sheathed.

"You almost got me there, Sii," She praised.

"I shan't forget," He retorted, making her snort and shake her head.

"You've gotten cheeky recently, I can't be having that," It was obvious that she was joking and they shared a grin.

"Jedi Tarn!"

They both turned at the familiar voice and saw Obi-Wan Kenobi standing at the entrance of the training arena, slightly out of breath but nothing compared to their panting.

"Padawan Kenobi!" Falon beamed, and crossed over to him. "When did you get back?"

"About half an hour ago."

"How about some hugs for your old friends?" She inquired slyly, and watched with mirth as his eyes took in the two of them, both in loincloths – and a breastband in Falon's case – and covered in a thick sheen of sweat. His eyes flicked over her sticky skin for half a moment before his lips twitched, getting the joke.

"Perhaps not," He answered, and she laughed appreciatively. "Listen, the reason I'm here is because the Council want to speak with you."

The humour in her mood dissipated slightly, and she frowned. "Why?"

"Qui-Gon has been with them, relaying his report from our journey, and one of them briefly left the Council chamber to ask me to bring you," Obi-Wan explained, "I do not know why you're needed. But they want you there now."

"Can't I at least get clean first?"

"They insisted on immediacy."

Falon sighed and rushed to her pile of clothes, having enough time to pull on leggings and a small tunic before Obi-Wan was insisting that she follow him. Bidding a quick goodbye to her Padawan, she followed the other apprentice out of the room.

When they reached the door to the Council chamber, the door was opened for her and she nodded in thanks to Obi-Wan before quickly entering the chamber. Qui-Gon was standing in the centre, still in his travelling cloak, and he along with everyone else looked up upon her arrival.

"Jedi Tarn, thank you for joining us," Mace Windu greeted. She nodded and bowed respectfully to the Council.

"I admit to being very unsure of why I am here," She said, coming to stand a little way behind Qui-Gon, who glanced at Yoda, jaw set.

"You're sure about this?" He asked the small Jedi Master, who eyed him evenly.

"The only way, it is."

Mace Windu regarded Falon before saying, "Master Jinn and yourself are going to be embarking on a dangerous journey. Without your Padawans."

"What?" Falon echoed. She wondered if she had heard him correctly, but felt that she had. "Why?"

"Clouded, the future is," Yoda put in solemnly, "Much danger, the only certainty is."

Ki-Adi-Mundi added, "Too much to send a Padawan into such a fray, but we cannot send Qui-Gon alone. The two of you worked together recently, and he claims that you will be capable of doing so again with efficiency."

"We work well together," Falon nodded. "When do we leave?"

"A week, no less, as soon as the background you know," Yoda said, "Go now, Qui-Gon, teach her, you must."

Qui-Gon bowed and left, so she quickly followed suit and found him waiting outside.

"So it's really this serious?" She immediately asked, and he nodded.

"We would be leaving tonight if it were possible, but you need to know too much, though if we are efficient we could be gone within a few days," He said.

"Then let's do it! We can start right now," Her offer made him shake his head.

"I need a night to rest my head from these matters," Qui-Gon then glanced at her, "Though if you don't have any plans, I would be glad of the company."

Falon was surprised. "I would have thought that you've been so busy you would want to be alone."

"Actually, I was separated from Obi-Wan for two weeks and was almost completely isolated from everyone," He informed her, "And I found myself missing our little conversations."

"How about I come to your quarters after I've freshened up?" Her words resulted in him giving her a once over and an almost imperceptible sniff.

"Yes, I was wondering what that interesting smell was," He said innocently, and chuckled at her scowl, "That was a jest."

After a few moments, she too laughed a bit. "No, I do smell."

"But you have, however, taken my advice concerning your hair and practicality," He noted, and she nodded, strangely pleased that he had noticed that her hair was up in a bun as he had recommended months back.

"It has helped considerably, though I will be glad to let it down and wash it," Her sigh was a happy one.

"Then I shall see you soon."

* * *

Half an hour later, Falon was walking to Qui-Gon's quarters, feeling much cleaner and lighter than before. She knocked on the door and smiled when he opened the door and invited her inside.

His quarters were practically identical to hers, with a large bed in the back corner, a small kitchen area to the front left, and a dining table nearby. A medium sized living area took up the rest of the space, other than the door which she knew would lead to the refresher room.

"So what have you been doing?" Qui-Gon asked, gesturing for her to sit down at the dining table while he made some hot drinks. Falon then went on to explain most of what she and Sii had been getting up to, including that day's duel, and the nightclub excursion. "And he has no idea?"

"I believe that he just thinks they find anything attractive and hence it must include him…he doesn't realised that wherever he goes, he picks up admirers. I happen to believe that even Princess Sierrn was a little taken with him," She told him, and he smiled.

"I have noticed Obi-Wan get a few looks from other young people, but not nearly so many as Sii, I think."

"Other people are funny with how much stock they put into appearances," Falon said, and as the words settled in the air, she found her eyes studying his face. Despite what she had just said, she could appreciate that he was rather handsome, with a strong nose and powerful blue eyes, and the long, brown hair and beard. The lines on his face conveyed wisdom rather than age, though he certainly appeared older than she knew he was, which was about thirty five, though he seemed closer to forty in looks . As she herself was the opposite, she knew that they probably appeared at least fifteen years apart in age when in reality it was half of that.

Appearances were strange things like that, she considered, and smiled to herself. Then she realised he had said something to her. Her attention reverted back to him.

"Sorry, what?" She laughed, confused as to how she'd lost focus. Lost in thought about age differences, clearly.

"I was merely agreeing with you," He answered, smiling strangely, "And saying that while attractive people are all very well, they are hardly the most important things in the universe. Beauty, has and always will be, in the eye of the beholder. What one species finds beautiful, another will find hideous, it's a fact of life."

"True," Falon nodded. "For example, some people would find this-" She flicked her mane of dark hair, which was loose, something she didn't bother with much, "Very nice. Others would find it horrible and would want me to shave it off. The universe is so diverse."

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Shave it off. Ever," Qui-Gon said, eyeing the hair in question, and her eyes went between it and him curiously.

"Why not?"

He smiled slyly. "Count me with those who happen to very much like it."

"Why thank you, Master Jinn," She grinned happily, "Though you needn't worry, I have no intention to shave my hair, only trim it to stop it from reaching any outrageously impractical lengths."

"Otherwise if you were to put it in a bun, the weight could unbalance you so much that you may fall over completely," He joked, and she rolled her eyes.

"Doubtful, though I'll keep your concern in mind," Her hazel eyes sparkled with amusement, as did his blue ones.

They spoke for several more hours, before he recommended that they both get an early night because they would need to make an early start in the morning with the assignment briefing.

Falon paused in his doorway and gave a little smile in way of goodbye, before heading off to her own quarters. And as she lay in bed and considered the dangers that could ahead of her, she was cheered by the thought that she would not be alone, and have no one less than Qui-Gon Jinn looking out for her in the absence of her Padawan, whom would normally be with her. Qui-Gon made for enjoyable company and an incredibly skilled fighter, not to mention he was a Jedi much wiser than she.

So despite what could go wrong, she kept her faith, and found herself looking forward to what the future would bring.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed, next chapter we will get into the plot of this new assignment, as it will span quite a while and is therefore important. Until then, I love you all and hope to hear from you in a review!**

**-MayFairy :)**


	5. Arrival On Pieldi

**Wooo, another update! Bet some of you guys didn't know I could update so fast, huh? I am working on DS, I promise, it's just hard...**

**Thanks to OptimisticLivvy, Brownbug, and Why so Sirius1236 for reviewing! **

**This chapter sees the journey start, with a few hints of what is to come. ;) **

* * *

The next morning, the two Jedi met in the Temple Archives, and began looking through the charts and holomaps of the Mid Rim, and Qui-Gon brought up the Juvex sector for her to look at.

"The House Sreethyn is in possession of a trio of worlds: Kimm Aurek, Kimm Besh, and Kimm Cresh. Obi-Wan and I were on Kimm Cresh and discovered a most disturbing human trafficking ring," He explained, and pointed out the three planets on the map, "They are selling thousands into slavery, with the most incredibly poor living conditions."

"When you say slavery…" Falon began, and he shot her a significant look.

"Every kind," He said, "And even the free people on the planets live in oppression from the gang which is in charge, the Trennacks. But they realised who we were, and we barely escaped with our lives."

Falon frowned, spotting a flaw in the plan. "But then surely they will be on the look for any Jedi? Or rather, any incoming ships from Coruscant?"

"Exactly. Which is why we shall be posing as a travelling pair who are _not _Jedi, and will not be arriving from Coruscant, but from the secondary port on Pieldi," Qui-Gon indicated the medium-sized planet some distance away from the trio of planets, "It will require a trek through the extensive jungle, but doing so will remove any suspicion that we may have come from Coruscant, as we will not have travel passes from between the two ports, so it will be assumed that we have come from a different planet that deals with the secondary port. If anyone is to ask, we are from Thermon."

"Alright, but pretending not to be Jedi? Really? That seems…morally wrong, somehow," She bit her lip, "But you're right, it's necessary if they've seen your face. But what if they recognise you?"

"I believe that with a change of occupation, a change of clothing and a subtle disguise, you would be amazed at what people won't recognise," He said confidently, "Though a crucial part of this will be that you must keep the attention on yourself to avoid too much being paid to me."

The Jedi Knight cocked an eyebrow and shifted her weight to her other foot as she glanced at him. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"You may have forgotten, but you're a woman, Jedi Tarn, you'll be dressing accordingly and exploiting their weaknesses," He knew that his tone of voice conveyed how amusing the idea was, even if it was almost blasphemous, the idea of a Jedi using their physical appearance in such a way, "And believe me, I have met these gangstas, and they do have such weaknesses."

Again she frowned, but filed it under something to worry about later, "Alright, but what exactly is our objective and our plan?"

"We will be posing as droid mechanics, we will infiltrate them as such and with a bit of luck, be able to dismantle the regime from the inside out. We may be able to find allies once inside, as well."

"How long will the trek to the secondary port take?"

"About a month, if we are persistent."

They spent the next two days planning, with Qui-Gon filling in other details that she needed to know. After that, they took a day to find suitable clothing to keep their cover.

* * *

The morning of their departure, they discretely left for a privately prepared ship with a pilot who had promised to keep the identity of his passengers a secret. It was large enough for there to be rooms to change their clothing, and a surprisingly spacious refresher.

"Well, we'd best get changed, then," Falon said reluctantly, and Qui-Gon agreed. They both retreated to their separate rooms. Qui-Gon quickly changed into the brown sleeveless tunic and leggings, which he tucked into large black boots. For a moment he thought that he heard some unusual noises through the wall, but decided he must have imagined them. Upon exiting the room, he had to wait several more minutes before his counterpart emerged, looking disgruntled. It was then that he wondered if he hadn't imagined the noises at all.

"Clothing trouble?" He inquired, eyeing her. The clothes in question were a remarkable contrast to Jedi robes, and it was all too clear how much of a detestable difference it was to her.

"Not only is it degrading, it's near impossible to put on!" Falon exclaimed. She tugged on the small corset-like top which was a few shades lighter than his tunic, and so tight that it clung to her body like a second skin. The same went for her dark leggings, which were tucked into boots identical to his in all but general size. "Does it even look good? Well, you know, not good, but-" She couldn't seem to bring herself to say the word _sexy_ due to their general avoidance of the entire thing.

"I think the pilot would be able to give a much better opinion on that," Qui-Gon gestured towards the cockpit, and so she nodded curtly and walked inside. He could hear them very clearly.

"Excuse me, this is going to sound like a strange question, but I assure you that it is very important….does this look – do I look sexually attractive in these clothes?"

Qui-Gon smothered a laugh at the blatant mortification in her voice, and at the confusion in the pilot's when he replied.

"Er, well…you say that you need an honest answer, Jedi Tarn?"

"Yes, it's crucial."

"Then yes, you look very attractive in those clothes, Jedi Tarn."

"Thank you very much for your opinion and honesty." She left the cockpit, and Qui-Gon glanced at her face, which was pink with embarrassment. At least it was obvious that the clothes were serving their purpose. She didn't have large breasts, nor did she have very small ones. But in her current attire, it made no difference, as the corset emphasised them so much that they were impossible to ignore. As she tiredly leant against one of the walls of the cabin, Qui-Gon's eyes ventured to her face, which was bearing a scowl.

"Is it really so uncomfortable?" He asked.

"No," She admitted, "Just very tight compared to Jedi robes. But it feels humiliating, like I'm being sexually objectified."

"It only feels that way because of our upbringing. Believe me when I say that no one will find your attire strange in the least," He assured her, and she allowed herself to smile at him, momentarily gratified.

"You'd better be right," She muttered, "Now, didn't you say we were going to use facial paint as well?"

He stood up and took the paint kit out of his bag. "Yes, on Thermon everybody uses it, so it will help us keep our cover, as well as make my face harder to recognise. Come, I'll show you how to apply it while we have access to mirrors, though we won't need to wear it until we are in the secondary port."

As she followed him into the refresher, she asked him, "But if we are trying to not make an impression in the primary port, why am I wearing this now?"

"You need to be used to it," Qui-Gon answered, "Not wriggling and fidgeting in it like you are now. In the port we'll wear our cloaks, and appear completely inconspicuous."

Falon hadn't been aware that she had been shifting and adjusting her attire every few seconds until he mentioned it, and then she abruptly forced her hands to her sides and lifted her chin up as she leant against the tiled wall of the refresher. "So this facial paint, then, what does it look like?"

"The male and female are slightly different, but I can teach you both," He took out the small, compact palette and brush. "The male paint looks like this." He proceeded to paint his entire face with white, and add a line of black down the bridge of his nose. Then with a rich, royal blue, he slowly created a precise swirling pattern on his forehead. As a final touch, the same blue coloured his lips. The overall effect was impressive and strangely adept in terms of altering his appearance.

"That's amazing," complimented Falon as she stared, "You really do look quite different. And the artistry on the forehead…you're rather talented."

"I practiced it many times until I was satisfied, believe me, it did not come easily," He chuckled, and she joined him for a moment before coming to stand next to him and eyeing her own reflection, comparing it to his. As if reading her thoughts, and he may well have done so, he then said, "Would you like me to show you the female paint?"

"Yes please," The ideas of what she might look like afterwards reeled into her head until she resolutely forced them back. Her eyes darted between herself and him before realising that with the significant height difference, just standing up wasn't going to cut it. So, with a stroke of inspiration, she hopped up and sat on the edge of the counter by the sink, making herself into a much more accessible human canvas.

The brush was cleaned and dipped back into the small pool of white paint before cascading over her face with a feather light touch. Qui-Gon's hand was steady and she kept her Jedi self-control up as she fought down any urges to giggle or squirm as the brush tickled her skin. His other hand came up to brush hair out of her face, holding her fringe out of his way. When the base coat was finished – she was glad that it dried almost immediately – he gave her the black strip on the bridge of her nose and then dipped the brush into a lighter blue.

"I'm going to match my lightsaber," She commented vaguely, and his lips twitched a little before his concentration went back to the work he was doing.

She received the same pattern as the one on his forehead, only in the lighter blue, and it bloomed from the far corner of her left eye and spread out and down her cheek, as opposed to how his seemed to come from his inner left eyebrow and stretch upwards.

Her lips were painted with the same blue, but instead of being fully painted as his were, hers were only done so in the middle, following the bow shape on her upper lip to meet at a rounded point at the bottom of her lower lip.

"There we are, you're done," He told her after smudging a faint trace of blue across each of her eyelids.

She snapped them open within a second and their eyes met. Hazel irises unfocused slightly as Falon began thinking about how there were tiny patches of grey and green in his startlingly wise blue eyes, and compared the colour scheme to some fascinating rocks she had once seen on her travels which had been very much the same. And really, the colour only stood out even more now that his face was so pale –

"Falon?"

Her eyes darted from his own and to where his hand was still resting against her head, though it was now releasing her and gently patting her fringe back down, skimming the side of her face once as it came down to drop by his side.

"It's all very well to get lost in thought, Jedi Tarn, but you would do well to pick better moments for it, I think," He suggested, his voice holding a hint of amusement and something she couldn't quite identify.

"I think you're right, Master Jinn," Falon agreed, unsure of why he had suddenly reverted back to his more formal way of addressing her, but matching it without second thoughts. She slid off the counter and turned to examine her reflection.

The woman staring back at her didn't resemble her in the slightest, between the outlandish clothing and facial paint. Only the hair was a familiar comfort, and she pulled at it absently before glancing up at Qui-Gon, who was also intently staring into the mirror at their reflections.

"Well, I believe that when the time comes, this will certainly play the part we need it to," He said, satisfied. "Though before we wash the paint off, you'll need to make sure that you have my pattern memorised, as we will most likely not have access to a suitable mirror when it needs to be applied, and we shall have to paint each other's faces."

The instruction in the paragraph took a moment to settle in Falon's mind, but then she took a step towards him and tilted her head up to regard his painted face thoughtfully. They stood in silence like statues, one the observer and the other patiently being observed, his eyes fixed on a small scar on her bared shoulder while her eyes quietly roamed the planes of his face and memorised every detail of the face paint.

The strange minute of hush was broken when she tore her gaze away and instead grabbed some cloths to wash the pigments off of her face. He remained still, waiting behind her until she had completed the task. Without another word to him, she dried her face and left the refresher, sitting down in the cabin and wondering why it felt as though she was short of breath when she hadn't been doing any physical activity.

When she heard him exiting the refresher and approaching around the corner, she stretched out across the long seat and rotated to face the wall, pretending to be asleep or well on the way. For some reason that she couldn't discern for the life of her, she really, _really _didn't feel like talking anymore.

* * *

Having decided to catch some rest himself after realising that Falon had dozed off, Qui-Gon was surprised when the pilot roused him.

"Master Jinn, sir, we've landed, if you and Jedi Tarn are to escape into the jungle, it must be now, before anyone comes into the hangar," The rather young man didn't relax until the Jedi Master was on his feet, and he watched intently as Qui-Gon crossed to Falon.

"Jedi Tarn?" The older man waited for a response, and when he got none he placed his hand on the bare skin of her shoulder, ready to shake her awake, only for her to start as if his hand had been scalding hot or ice cold. Her eyes were only full of blind confusion for half a second before she took a deep breath and smiled unsurely. With a hand raking through her hand, she understood the situation immediately and snatched up the hooded cloak being offered to her by the pilot. Qui-Gon handed her one of the two large packs full of their various supplies and travel necessities, and they both shouldered one before donning their large hooded cloaks over the top.

After thanking the pilot profusely for his help, they discretely hacked their way through one of the hangar's outer doors – they had deliberately landed in a hangar which backed onto the jungle for that exact reason. Then the jungle was all around them, and they shut the door behind them, leaving no trace of them having been at the primary port at all.

"You realise that we'll need to run for some time to put a safe amount of distance between us and the port?" Qui-Gon flicked his gaze down to Falon, who nodded.

"Well," She tilted her head up so that he could see her face and not just her hood, and her large grin was visible, "It's no fun without a bit of physical exertion anyway, is it?"

The Jedi Master reflected the grin of his younger counterpart as he gestured to the expanse of greenery around them, "Please, after you," He smirked.

Falon took off through the trees with a laugh, and he chuckled before taking off after her.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it! Flick me a review and let me know, that would be awesome. I love to hear what you guys think, and getting feedback really fuels my inspiration! **

**Until the next time, **

**-MayFairy :) **


	6. Adjusting

**The amount of Star Wars I have watched in the last couple of days (and also in the last couple of weeks) is ridiculous, and while I am temporarily (and I do mean only temporarily) slightly sick of the movies, I am at least still filled with muse for this fic, which is great! **

**Thanks to Brownbug, Why so Sirius1236, and starwarsfan2296 for reviewing! **

**Enjoy the chapter! The beginning covers Obi-Wan's and Sii's reactions to their Masters getting sent off for months, as we haven't seen that yet. :) **

* * *

It was over an hour before the two Jedi slowed from a run to a walk, as they had to be sure that no one had noticed their arrival in or departure from the port. Once they had settled into a steady pace, Falon found a question nagging at her.

"What did Obi-Wan think of this whole idea? What you could tell him of it, at least?" The reason she was curious was because Sii had not been at all willing to part with her. He was, of course, rather subdued and the epitome of respect in the presence of others, but when the two of them were alone…he allowed himself to let a few more of his emotions out.

"_Why do you have to be the one that goes with him? Surely there are a number of Jedi who could do the job instead." _

"_They _also_ have Padawans, Sii." _

"_Not all of them," The Etti muttered quietly, "I just don't see why out of everyone, it has to be you. You say you'll be gone for _months_! Is my training to just be paused?" _

"_You'll train with Obi-Wan under another Jedi, your training won't be affected too greatly," Falon reminded him, but he didn't appear pacified in the least. _

"_It's not the same! I like training under _you_, no one else." His scowl was something she had seen so few times before that she imagined she could count them all on one hand. It twisted his usually very handsome features into a rather ugly expression. _

_She wasn't pleased with his attitude and allowed herself to take a firmer tone with him. "Take that horrid scowl off your face and stop acting so immature, I have seen younglings take inconveniences better than you." _

"_This is not an inconvenience, it is a separation," He argued, his voice taking on an odd quality, "For five years I have spent practically every waking moment with you, almost never gone even half a day without seeing you. And now you want to disappear for months and you act like it is nothing." _

"_Of course it's not nothing!" Falon frowned, shaking her head at him earnestly. "It is going to feel strange for me as well, but there is nothing to be done, Sii, this is happening whether we like it or not. I'll miss you, you know I will." _

_A sort of relief flashed through her Padawan's eyes before he put up his usual mask of indifference. "Well, good, because I'll miss you as well." She knew it wasn't the easiest thing for him to say, and because of that she pulled him into a hug that was unexpected for both parties. Sii patted her on the back somewhat awkwardly, but did seem glad of the gesture judging by how he lent into her. _

Sii's reaction had been on her mind ever since she had witnessed it, and already it felt a little peculiar to have gone so long without seeing his face, hearing his voice, and being around his funny little mannerisms and his way of going about things.

"Obi-Wan was as pleased as one would expect him to be, but he does not doubt the Council's judgement," Qui-Gon said, and Falon nodded.

"Good, trusting the Council is important, especially for Padawans."

"And yours?" He glanced over to see her with an expression that gave away that she resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "By your face, I am guessing that he did not take it as well."

"No, he was rather immature about the prospect of his training being halted, though he did then reveal that it was actually because he didn't want to be separated from me, which, while juvenile, is understandable."

"Have the two of you been separated before?" Qui-Gon inquired with curiosity, and she shook her head slowly.

"No, not like this, not in the five years we have been together," She relayed, and wanted to add, _and I miss him a lot already, _but somehow it felt unprofessional and so she let the thought fester within her mind instead.

Qui-Gon flashed her a sympathetic smile. "It will be good for both of you, I think. You must not be too co-dependent on each other."

A strange laugh emitted from her. "And out comes your inevitable wisdom, Master Jinn."

"Actually, those were originally Obi-Wan's words," He admitted with a wry smile, "Though he was referring to myself and him."

"Oh," She said, a little surprised.

"I have a strong feeling that he will grow to be a much wiser man than I am," Qui-Gon continued.

"I have the same feeling with Sii, once he loses the last sparks of immaturity in him," said Falon, who looked up at him with understanding in her eyes. He nodded, seeming a little reassured or pleased by her confession.

* * *

At the end of the day when they finally stopped to make camp, both Jedi were glad to be able to stop and rest. They removed their cloaks and voluminous packs, and the younger of the two began to make a fire while the older set up their tent. While there were pieces of technology which would have made both tasks much easier, being as low tech as possible made them much harder to be detected or tracked.

Falon sat down in front of the roaring fire she had gotten going, waiting for Qui-Gon to finish up with the tent. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered. Pieldi was not warm at night, that was for sure. A familiar weight of cloth – her cloak - draped around her bare shoulders and almost immediately helped fight off the chill. When she looked up, Qui-Gon was smiling down at her and moving to sit some way around the fire from her.

"You seemed to have forgotten that you had it," He explained, and she smiled back at him gratefully.

"I had, which is very stupid of me," She said, eyes flicking downwards embarrassedly for a moment or two only to come back up to rest on him with warmth, "Thank you."

He gave the smallest of shrugs before changing the subject. "We have done well today, we should be far more grateful for that. If we can continue at this pace, we should make good time."

Dinner was bland and uneventful, but Jedi almost never lived on grand cuisine, seeing food more often as a necessity rather than a pleasure, so neither were bothered in the slightest. Afterwards, Falon was putting out the fire when Qui-Gon poked his head out of the tent.

"I'll finish that while you get changed, then we can turn in for the night," He suggested. It occurred to her that obviously she would need to get changed into something more comfortable in order to sleep, and she was glad at the chance to escape her hellishly tight clothing even for a short while.

So they swapped and he covered up the fire while she ducked into the tent and pulled out her shift. The only problem was that she had not taken one thing into consideration: that as hard as her clothes had been to get into, they were even more difficult to peal herself out of. So when she heard Qui-Gon approaching the tent a few minutes later, she yelled out, "Wait! Don't come in!"

She was currently in her loincloth, her corset half unlaced and stuck over her head, wriggling across the two sleeping bags in the tent after losing her balance and falling over half a minute previous. After a particularly frustrated noise escaped her, she could hear him chuckling outside.

"I am glad that one of us finds this amusing," She told him through the thin cloth of the tent.

"Clothing trouble, I presume, considering the similarity of how you are acting compared to the beginning of our voyage."

"Yes, you got it in one."

"But clearly your general frustration towards those clothes is clouding your common sense, Jedi Tarn. Just relax," He coaxed gently, and with a jolt she realised how right he was. She slowed and steadied her breathing, and allowed all of her tensed muscles to relax. Then, deliberately and at a near snail's pace, she pulled up the corset, and found it slowly budging until it came off her head. She let out a small laugh of relief. "Success?"

"Yes, thank you," Falon answered, "Give me thirty seconds." Once she was finally dressed in her shift and getting into the sleeping bag on the right side of the tent, she called, "You can come in now."

He entered with an amused little smirk on his face, amusement twinkling in his bright blue eyes. "You will get the hang of those clothes eventually, you know."

"It is easy enough for you to say," She replied, propping herself up to lean back on her elbows, "Your clothes are not so different from Jedi robes. Though, while we are on the topic…" Her eyes ran over his sleepwear, which was the same style of loose leggings as he had worn on Algnadesh, "Do we not need to wear different sleepwear as well?"

"Actually, I was under the impression that many people, on Kimm Cresh especially, sleep in absolutely nothing at all," Qui-Gon explained in a very casual tone of voice, his mouth twitching at the thought. She felt her eyes widen a fraction, and resisted an unusual urge to pull her sleeping bag higher up her body even though it was already up past her stomach. "But naturally I thought that was one aspect not necessary to mimic."

"I'm inclined to agree," She said mildly, "I am, however, very glad that you are so familiar with their ways, as it makes me feel much more prepared for what is to come."

"The Force is with us, Falon, in what has already been and in what is to come." His eyes were softer, more passionate as he spoke about their core belief, the thing that bound the two of them to everything around them.

She nodded, and felt the familiar warmth of the Force fill her. "May the Force be with you, Qui-Gon," She smiled and nestled properly into her sleeping bag.

"May the Force be with you as well, Falon," He offered back, and leaned over to turn off their lamp before also preparing for sleep. After all, with the Force as their ally, they could only do their best, which both of them dared to believe might just be enough to pull off the assignment.

* * *

In the morning, Falon woke early, and observed the morning to already be very warm in contrast to the chilly night. She felt hot and uncomfortable, as though she were covered in a layer of dirt and sweat, so when she saw that Qui-Gon was still sound asleep, she slipped out of her sleeping bag and the tent. A river ran through the jungle near their camp, and it looked so inviting that she walked around a few of the trees until she found a secluded spot out of view of the tent where the water was quite still.

Her shift was strewn across a large, high root of one of the trees between the camp and the river, and she slipped unclothed into the cool water. It wasn't the cleanest, and had some twigs floating through it, but it was better than nothing, and she dove under the surface to fully appreciate the river and make sure that every inch of her body got a thorough rinsing.

Heavy with water, her hair clumped together down her back, so she brought it to rest over her right shoulder, only to think of Sii and their non-verbal way of communication after she did so. How long would it be until she saw him again? Already it felt rather wrong to be without him, as though there had been some great mistake and he was going to turn up around the corner and start telling her interesting facts about some kind of fruit or root that he had found.

Her brimming melancholy was interrupted by a peculiar rise in anger, which immediately brought her back to her surroundings. But it was then that she realised that it was not she who was angry, but Qui-Gon. When she tuned in a little deeper to his thoughts, she was surprised to find that they dwelled on _her_, that he was angry at _her_.

But why?

Suddenly, she saw a hand reach out and take her shift from its spot on the tree root, and she was struck by the necessity to not be exposed, and so hid herself in the deeper water, behind a thick root.

"Falon?" His voice had the same smooth quality, but there was the quiet frustration and anger in it which she had never heard before, and for just one ridiculous moment before she found her rationality, she was scared. "I know you're there, I can sense you."

"You're angry, why?" She called. From her perch behind the root, she could see that he was very sensibly not making any move to put them in each other's sights, and staying around the corner.

"Perhaps you have forgotten one of the most important rules of the Jedi order, Falon. Modesty, Falon, we are to preserve our modesty at all times, not go off and bathe where someone might see you," He reprimanded, and Falon frowned, as she hadn't forgotten the rule at all.

"But you are the only other person around, and you are another Jedi so it hardly matters! Also, there is a reason that I placed myself around the corner, Qui-Gon, you make it sound as though I was bathing myself two feet from the tent!" She argued.

He was silent for a minute before answering, "That is true, but from now on let us have a system where we warn each other to avoid any chance of modesty being compromised."

"Definitely, that's a very good idea," She agreed, and peeked out from the root to see his hand coming from around the corner, still holding her shift. "But since we're here, could you bring my clothes and put them where you found that?"

The shift dropped from his fingers back onto the high root and he replied, "Of course, I'll be back in a minute." That time, his voice was much calmer and closer to how he usually was, for which Falon was exceedingly glad, as she didn't want Qui-Gon to be mad at her, not at all.

* * *

Half an hour later, they were dressed and packed up, and beginning another day of trekking through the jungle. Once they were on their way, Falon couldn't stop herself from saying, "I'm sorry about this morning."

"It's alright," He said after a slight pause, "I was just ensuring that you were taking the matter seriously, because it is a serious matter."

"I know, it's just that…it's different, being with someone who isn't Sii," She explained, only for him to shoot her a questioning look.

"What does that have to do with what happened this morning?"

"Because the two of us are so in sync," Falon sighed, "I would be able to go and bathe and there would be no danger of rule-breaking because I would be able to sense when he woke up, and vice versa. We were in tune enough that we could coordinate such things with ease. And now, with you, I forgot that I wouldn't know when you woke up, that it could possibly go horribly wrong…breaking a habit is very difficult, especially when one has had it for many years."

Qui-Gon was staring ahead thoughtfully, "That explains a lot, and excuses your actions, though you will need to stop forgetting that you are with me rather than him now, as it could result in something much worse than the loss of modesty if we're not careful."

A confused frown settled on the Jedi Knight's brow. "Such as?"

"Anything, absolutely anything, which is why we must be so cautious and think about everything carefully," He said, and the truth of the statement set in for both of them. There was going to be a lot at stake once they reached the secondary port and went on to Kimm Cresh, and a single mistake could cost them everything.

"I think…that perhaps _we _should try to be more in tune with each other's thoughts," Falon proposed hesitantly, "Considering the circumstances, it could mean the difference between a victory and certain death."

"You could be right," He mused, "We'll perhaps look into it later."

After that they continued on in silence, and Falon considered how terrible earlier events could have played out if Qui-Gon hadn't been so intuitive. Him seeing her in _that _state of undress would have been degrading and humiliating for both of them.

Had he even seen a naked person before? She had, which meant that he almost definitely had as well, but that had been in primitive systems where her assignments had led her, and was more often than not the result of slavery or poverty rather than simple bad timing. Not to mention, they were all utter strangers. She imagined that seeing someone that one knew well, an acquaintance, a friend, in the same situation would be very…well…awkward.

Though, when she thought about being the exposed one in such a situation, being seen by Qui-Gon seemed slightly less humiliating than the idea of being seen by someone else, such as another Master like Mace Windu or a Padawan like Obi-Wan or even Sii.

However, the prospect of him being the other one in that situation was also somehow more embarrassing and daunting. Just the idea of it was terrifying, and her cheeks grew uncommonly hot as she considered just what a horror they had avoided that morning.

_Yes, _she thought, _Thank goodness for Qui-Gon's intuition and good sense!_

* * *

**So, not really any "progress" in this chapter, but ah well, it's all important stuff in its own right, so hopefully you lot still enjoyed it! And DO let me know if you think Qui-Gon is in character, because I do worry. Let me know all your thoughts in reviews! **

**Til next time,**

**-MayFairy :) **


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